Early life and education The youngest of two children, James Casey was born on September 22, 1914, in
Osage,
Iowa, to James Gordon Casey and Nina (née Nims) Casey. His father was a
Democratic Party member of the
Iowa House of Representatives from 1933 to 1935. James Casey the younger attended Osage High School, where he was
class president and captain of the football team. He then enrolled at
Loras College in
Dubuque, obtaining a
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1936. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Casey in 1940 as
curate at St. John Parish in
Independence, Iowa. The
Southern Nebraska Register declared that Casey "accomplished more for the Diocese of Lincoln in 10 years than any other comparable period in our history." Among these efforts was the Samaritan House Homeless Shelter in Denver.; He created the archdiocesan Office of Hispanic Concerns in 1968, later raising it to the
vicariate level in 1981. An opponent of American participation in the
Vietnam War, Casey encouraged US President
Richard Nixon to "set a definite date for the withdrawal of our American military personnel from Vietnam at the earliest possible moment." In 1972, Casey moved out of the episcopal mansion in
Cheesman Park in Denver and into a
penthouse at the Park Lane Apartments in
Washington Park. He gave greater power to
laity and
nuns, and was forced to close or consolidate several
Catholic schools. He joined the Colorado Council of Churches, and allowed Catholics to participate in the crusades of the evangelist
Billy Graham. During his 19-year-long tenure, Casey dedicated a total of twenty-four parishes. He also increased the number of priests from 327 to 356, and the number of Catholics from 261,844 to 330,270.
Death and legacy While playing
golf in October 1984, Casey collapsed from a ruptured
artery in his
abdomen. He suffered several setbacks during a long recovery, and delegated the administration of the archdiocese to his
vicar general. On March 1, 1986, Casey was stricken with a
cerebral aneurysm at his residence and then taken unconscious to St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. He underwent
surgery the next day to remove a
blood clot from his brain. Never regaining consciousness, James Casey died on March 14, 1986, at age 71. Following his death, Colorado Governor
Richard Lamm declared, "[Casey] didn't just talk about the relevance of religious belief, he lived it." ==References==